Educational device



May 15, 1923.

H. G. CRESS EDUCATIONAL DEVICE Filed Sept, 28 192'2 VIIII'IIII T all whom it may concern:

Patented May 15, 19123.

'nnooa'rronennnvrcnj I Application filed September eej-ielza seen ir'mssipseif Be it known that I, HORAT/IO GtCnnss, a citizen of the United States, residing at Troy; in the countyofidiami and State 01f Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful In'iprovement' in an Educational Device,

of which the following is a full, clear, and

exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improvements in educational devices, particularly in devices having slots in which buttons having suitable thereof longer than the depth of the guide around the edge of the other. provide a bead having approximately an characters or letters thereon may be moved from vone slot to another for purposes of assisting children in learning to spell.

Usually devices, of this character embody a storage slot and a branch slot leading there'- t'rom, whereby suitably framedbuttons may be moved from the storage slot to the branch slot and vice versa. Usually the storage slot extends around the periphery of the de vice, and is defined by flanges which form. a

guideway for the buttons. I have found that with-this form of construction the flanges may be easily bent, thus rendering it diflicult to slidethe buttons from one slot to the other.

, Accordingly, one ofthe objects of'my'invention is the provision of .means for re-- inforcing the edges of such. educational devices to protect the flanges orgu dewaysnn which the buttons are movedr In addit on,

myinvention includes a construction which.

maybereadily formed o'f stampings where-' by the cost of manufacture is reduced to" a minimum..

In carrying out the above objects, I employ a pairfotoppositely disposed -plates which are shaped to provide a guideway for the buttons, and I extend theseplates beyond the normal storage slot a-ndvconstruct a bead by extending the edge of one plate Moreover I elliptical cross section-with the major'axis whereby the device'may be supported upon the peripheral bead. I p

, The preferred means for carrying out my invention is set forth in the'iollowing description which pertains to the accompanying drawings and .the .essential features are set forth in the claims.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a top view of an educational device embodying features of my invention; Fig. 2 is a section on the 'HoaArIo o. sense, or rnosgpn o. I

line 2 2 in Fig. 1 Fig. 31S a s aiqnthitt ii part. ofthe device on an enlarged scale showmg more particularlyfthe bead construction j y j e0 'My inventionis shown inconnectionwith on the periphery of the device.

an educational device having a storage slot and a branch slot 11 in which buttons i11 I dicated generallyfat 12 may bemoved The I i I buttons comprise heads 13,14 which are con; T

nected by necks 15;;1 thenecks being'ofsuch size as to 'permitfree,movement of the tons from one slot to another.

My invention in: the, preferred formsem 70 formed therein to provide a storage slot" bodies a base. plate h'aving'a channel i 21 l0 and another channel 22 leadingtherefrom plate extends in the same plane asthe central portionandis then curvedflupwardly es-at i 24 and then in a reversedirection as at 25".

and '26 to form part of a hollow head A Cooperating with this base plate, I "prog" 'vlde a peripheral plate, a portionof which,

forming a branch slot: as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. I Outside the channel 2 I, the base i as at '27, engagesthe fiat portion 23 and is rigidly secured-"as by welding, thereto-.1 The i .f

inner end of this plate isfshaped, as at 28', y

to provide alflange constitutingpart of a it guideway for the buttons 12 The outer. end 1 of the plate is curved as ati29, to extend around the bead portions of the base plate,

as shown particularly 'inFigg3. Thespace enclosed by the head, is' substantially snipe, n

cal in cross section with ther'naj orva xis there storage slotlO and branch slot 11, whereby thetop and bottom portions of the bead lie f extending at right a toihe a ep j I the Plate TB Ethe majOr axis-fiat the be g at thmthe depth. fth' outside of planes passing 'throughlvsthe.po-r-I- tions of the plate whichforrn the channel.

In this way, the device" is supported by the]. I

bead when placed upon a table.

l Zithin the space defined by the flange I have shown the rest of the facings asface plates 30 and .31 Which are attached, as by welding, to the base plate; These plates are flange 28 and serve as guideways for the buttons 12. f The base and faceplatesqthen are attached on a -p'lane passing appro-ximately through the mid-portion of the device and the-flanges formed thereby are.inside of planes passing through the top and bottom or thebead. V

shaped to provideflangesBQ and .33lrespec j' I .tivelywhichlie in the same plane as the.

' A device made-according toniy invention provides a rugged construct-ion vliich is i capable of withstanding hard usage without distorting the flanged guideways and thus preventing the buttons from being readily moved from one slot to another. Inaddition, the formation of channels by shaping-both the base and face plates, provides in ivefiect a double corrugation which materially 'aidsfin'strengthening theplates.

1. A device of the character described,

comprising a supporting plate'having a iiacing plate attached thereto and cooperating therewith to provide channels and ahollow bead formed in part by the marginal por- Q 7 tion of one of the plates, said bead extending around the device and outside said channels 21in a "device of the-class described, the combination with a supporting plate, of a facing plate attached thereto to provide channels buttons movable within the chan- YV nel s, and a hollow bead formed by both of said plates and extendingaround the margiiial edges of the plates.

3. In devicaofthe class described, the comb nation with a base plate having an 3 endless channel formed therein, of a facing ,gi plate attached thereto and having a flange so coopcratingwith. the channel, buttons movable Within the channel and guided "on the "flange, and a hollow bead formed in part fby' the marginal portion of one of saidiplat'es and extendihg'above andfbelow the plates ofthe channel and'fiange.

"4. Ina device'oi the class described; the

, combination with a base plate having a zc'h'a nnel therein and intermediatethe edges thereof, a facingplatefattached to the base plate and having a flange cooperatingwith sa1d channel portion, a second facing plate afneclg the necks of said buttons being slidablebetween said flanges, and a hollow riin formed by the base plate and one of said facing platesj 'i In a device of the class described, the combination with til-base plate,-',0f a lace plate attached thereto, each of said plates [having raised-portions which cooperate to provide a slot, buttons each having a pair of opposed heads connected by, a neck, the

necks of saidbuttons being slidable within saidslot and eachfof said plates having the marginal portions thereof shapedto iiorm part of a hollow head; i y

' 6. Ina device of he class described, the combination withv a base plateh'aving an endless channel "therein to provide a storage slot and having another channel opening therefrom to provide .a branoh slot, facing plates having raised flange portions cooperating with said channels to provide a guideway, buttons each having a pair ot'opposed heads connected by a neck which extends through the opening intermediate said flanges, the base "plate and one of the facing plates extending outwardly and in abutting engagement from the storage" channel, and sald last mentioned plates being curved outwardly and then'inWardly upon each other to provide a hollow'bead. I I In a device of the class described, the combination with a baseplate, of a face plate cooperating therewith to" provide channels,fi

and buttons movable within the channels,

: said'plates having the marginal edges thereof folded over each other to provide a hollow reinforcing bead. of elliptical cross Section, the major axis of said beadlying in a plane at right angles 't0"'a' plane passing through one oi'said plates. 8. Ina device of the class described, the combination with 'a base plate and a face plateformed to provide ,a' 'guideway, and buttonseach' having a 3 pair of opposed heads I connected bya neck which occupies said guideway, said plates extending outwardly in abutting engagement and being then curved outwardly and theninwardly, one

upon the other to provide a hollow-bead.

In testimony'whereof, Ihereunto a'flix my signature. I v

, Hem-10G. canes. l 

